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Page 6 The Westchester Guardian THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2010 government Gillibrand, Schumer Announce Bipartisan Deal on 9/11 Health Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer last week announced they have reached a bipartisan agreement to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in the U.S. Senate. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer issued the following statement: “The Christmas Miracle we’ve been looking for has arrived. Over Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer the last 24 hours, our Republican colleagues have negotiated in goodfaith to forge a workable final package that will protect the health of the men and women who selflessly answered our nation’s call in her hour of greatest need. We are pleased to announce that we crafted an agreement that will allow this legislation to pass the Senate, and the House, this afternoon. We thank our Republican friends for coming together to fulfill America’s moral obligation to the Heroes of 9/11. “This has been a long process, but we are now on the cusp of the victory these heroes deserve. We would not be here without the strong leadership of Majority Leader Reid, Congresswoman Maloney, Congressman Nadler, Congressman King, Congressman Weiner, Congressman Crowley, Congressman McMahon, the entire New York Congressional delegation, and most of all, the many brave first responders and community survivors.” JOHN P. POLLIS, II REALTY CORP. COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE BROKERS Commercial Mortgages for Note Purchases. John P. Pollis, II President, 1986 – present Call John P. Pollis today at: 917.559.4470 e-mail jpollis@johnpollisrealty.com Tel. (212) 873-9380 • Fax (845) 876-2050 38 West COMMERCIAL 75th Street, Suite MORTGAGES BR, New York, NY 10023 FOR NOTE PURCHASES New to market 1st mortgages for purchases of commercial notes, 7.5% interest, 50% of note price, 30 day closing. Also, apartment buildings, commercial strip malls and offi ces- fi nancing 4.25% to 5.25%, 30 day closing. White Plains Common Council Votes to Recall Mayor By Nancy King At a special meeting on December 22nd, the White Plains Common Council passed a resolution expressing their lack of confidence in Mayor Bradley and asked for his resignation. The meeting was called by Councilman David Buchwald and four other council members. Buchwald has been critical of the mayor since his arrests earlier this year and called him a convicted criminal at tthat night’s meeting. It has also been questioned as to whether Buchwald is behind the anonymous RecallAdamBradley.com website. Each member of the Common Council was able to address the mayor giving his or her reasons for casting the vote of no confidence. The lone “No” vote came form Councilman Dennis Power who, reading from a prepared statement charged that Mayor Bradley should be afforded his appeal process, and despite his legal troubles, he noted that Mayor Bradley contributed to White Plains’ moving forward this year despite harsh economic times. Mayor Bradley also read a prepared statement where he in turn defended his inaugural year in office. Mayor Bradley noted that while this was not the year he anticipated it would be, he was still proud of his accomplishments and gave examples of improvements made in Recreation and the response to the Post Road fire this past summer. Councilmembers quickly exited City Hall after the meeting though Thomas Roach did stop to make a statement asserting the Common Council would move forward in asking Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo to begin the process to remove Mayor Bradley from office. It was unclear if the Common Council would be appealing to Mr. Cuomo in his capacity as Attorney General or as Governor of the State of New York. It was also unclear if this appeal would be accomplished in the form of a letter or by personal visit to Albany. What is clear is that this was a sad day for the City of White Plains and that this vote of no confidence raises more Mayor Adam Bradley questions than it answers. In the end, will life be any different for the residents of the City of White Plains? Probably not, as most cities, White Plains has such a firmly entrenched infrastructure that the city and it’s commissioners could run the city and probably not be any worse for wear. The fiscal trouble White Plains is suffering is no different from any other city in America. While it is certain that Mayor Bradley is distracted as a result of his legal problems, one doubts if he was more focused that whether it would or could solve the economic woes of the city. White Plains will emerge from the economic downturn in it’s own time whether the mayor is a convicted criminal or not. The Common Council is entitled to their opinion and they exercised it as is their Constitutional right. Again, one wonders what the outcome for White Plains and Mayor Bradley would have been, if they rallied around the Mayor and the city. The next move will more than likely be a letter to the newly minted Governor Andrew Cuomo. Will he remove Bradley or will he not? Like the rest of White Plains, we’ll just sit and wait this one out.
The Westchester Guardian THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2010 Page 7 GOVERNMENT—WHITHER WESTCHESTER What would you say if I were to tell you that some Westchester residents pay millions in taxes year in and year out because of the county’s archaic multilayered government? Those familiar with Westchester County’s bewildering tax structure will shrug and say, “So, what else is new?” There are 3,141 counties or county equivalents (Louisiana calls them “parishes”) in the United States. Westchester has the unenviable record of paying the highest taxes of any of this country’s tax-collecting entities. Not just in the state of New York, or in the Northeast—Westchester’s are the highest taxes among all counties in the nation. Westchester includes six cities, 19 towns, 20 villages and about 50 unincorporated hamlets. The Census Bureau calls hamlets CDPs (Census-Designated Places)--statistical units that physically resemble incorporated villages but lack a Part One: Cursed by Irrational Complexity By Robert Scott separate municipal government. Most Westchester residents pay three levels of taxes: to county, to town or city, and to school district. About 200,000 residents of villages pay a fourth level of taxes--for which they get nothing that residents in towns outside the villages do not get. Village taxes on average are the second largest component of villagers’ tax bills, school taxes being the first. It may come as a surprise to readers to learn that some of the most desirable communities in Westchester are not incorporated villages but are unincorporated hamlets. One Westchester community whose junior and senior high schools are consistently chosen as “best in Westchester” by U.S. News & World Report is Edgemont, an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Greenburgh, burdened with no village superstructure or extra layer of village taxation. Similarly, Chappaqua, a relocation destination to which many Westchester residents often aspire for its quality of JOB 9-249 9.324 X 4.5787 WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN life and highly regarded school system, is an unincorporated hamlet. Then there’s affluent Katonah, another desirable hamlet without that onerous fourth level of taxation. How did Westchester’s government get so convoluted? Let’s explore the county’s irrational complexity that contributes to its tax problems. Cities Westchester’s six cities are the result of the outgrowth of the populations of incorporated villages, with one exception: Originally a town, Yonkers became Westchester’s first city in 1872 after sprawling rural portions of Kingsbridge and Riverdale were separated from it. Steadily growing since 1990, and now fourth in population among New York’s cities, Yonkers may yet dislodge Rochester and its declining population from third place. Mount Vernon incorporated as a city in 1892 and New Rochelle in 1899. Latecomers to the ranks of the county’s cities were White Plains (1916), Peekskill (1940) and Rye (1942). Residents of cities pay three levels of taxation. Towns When Westchester was organized as a county in 1788, it was divided into 20 large towns containing an uncounted number of small hamlets, As a result of splits and combinations, it now numbers 19 towns. These vary in population from Pound Ridge’s almost minuscule 4,948 to Greenburgh’s impressive 90,467. Residents of towns outside of villages pay three levels of taxation. Over the years, Westchester’s towns have shown great malleability. In 1808, Stephen Town, named after Stephen Van Cortlandt, changed its name to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval hero in the war against the Barbary Coast pirates. (Locally, the name is pronounced “summers,” rather than “sohmers.”) The town of Lower Salem became South Salem in 1806, but changed its name to Lewisboro in 1840 after John Lewis gave the town $10,000 for its schools. In 1791, the town of New Castle was created from the northern part of North Castle. The section of Somers Continued on page 8 Earning a Master’s Degree or Advanced Certificate Can be your Strategy for Success Whether you are thinking about changing fields or advancing in your current line of work, Long Island University’s Westchester and Rockland Graduate Campuses offer a broad array of graduate programs to prepare you. Choose from*: • Teacher Education • Educational Leadership • Business Administration (M.B.A.) • Pharmaceutics • School Psychology and School Counseling • Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy • Health and Public Administration • Library and Information Science (offered by The Palmer School of Library and Information Science) We provide a supportive environment and programs of study that are tailored to fit the needs of working professionals. Many generous scholarships are available for our students. Attend Our Open Houses Wednesday, January 5 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Application fee is waived for attendees. - Bring your transcripts to see if you qualify for on-the-spot acceptance into a Master’s Degree or Advanced Certificate program. ROCKLAND GRADUATE CAMPUS Call 845-450-5403 or e-mail rockland@liu.edu to reserve a seat WESTCHESTER GRADUATE CAMPUS Call 914-831-2700 or e-mail westchester@liu.edu to reserve a seat *Not all programs offered at both campuses.
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